Cage
by Enchantress of the Wolves
Summary: A Lady from Rome, with personality of a Sarmation. How will her life affect the kinght's?
1. Chapter 1

Hello! This is my first story, I don't really like flames but I want constructive critisism. Thanks.

Disclamer: I don't (but wish I did ) own anything you recognize.

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_I shall tell you a story, the story of my life. Historians from Rome will say I am a liar, but history is written by those who have hanged heroes, as they intend to do to me. And though by their laws I have acted with treason and hate, I honestly tell you I did what I had to with the very best intentions. They may keep me in this cage (for truly that is what it is); chained and held like a common animal but they shall never chain my spirit. They shall never make me lose my heart and the memories in which I hold dear._

_There is so much to tell, but I suppose with all the free time I have I can start with the beginning._

I was raised a princess, given the finest of everything. My father was a nobleman, my mother first cousin to the emperor and niece of the pope. I was their only child and they lavished gifts upon me but only to keep me quiet; in all truth they held no love for their daughter with the spirit of the son they never had. Whilst they lived in Rome, I lived in a large villa by the sea; cared for by tutors, nurses and when I could manage it, soldiers.

I had the run of the place, I had power and I could have destroyed those who tried rein in my behavior. But instead (though it took a while) I learned to respect and cherish what they had to say. Through the days I would spent my mornings learning the behavior fitting a lady of my birthright, the afternoons however were the time in which I thrived. Immediately after the midday meal I would rush down to the stable, get onto any available horse and race to the barracks. At first the trainee's disliked me, were it for me being a girl or me being of noble birth I will never know, but they did respect me, a respect that eventually turned into like and then a loyalty and love few commanders received from there soldiers. You see, I trained with them; many of the officers (and their wives) though it was atrocious a lady would train with common men, but their captain Peter found me amusing and allowed it. I fought the best of them and won; I learned healing, I learned to kill and by god I had a knack for it.

So, I grew up with the best of both worlds; friends from all walks of life. My mentor ranged from drunks and bums to generals to ladies and to holy men with holier ideals.

Unfortunately my world was destroyed, mind you it was destroyed tactfully. On the occasion of my sixteenth in front of a roomful of people were I dared not argue it was announced I was to leave and in all probability never return. I had been called to court, it was not a request which I might have respectfully declined, it was a order; emperor to subject. That night I packed and by dawn every trace of my childhood was wiped away.

The first meeting between my parents and I was strained. We had conversed through letters and told of my progress, but they had spies who told them of my wild behavior. My second day back I was presented to the Emperor and offically welcomed.

I was at court for 4 years. The first under the supervision of a cold hearted lady in waiting to the empress. The second year I was made a lady in waiting, and by the third I had won the hearts of Rome. I was in all my glory, parties every night, luncheons and shopping during the day. Through the glamour of court I forgot my old life.

About 11 months into the fourth year I was informed I would be married to a Lord Markus DeCosta. I was horrified at the thought of it; I begged, commanded, pleaded, prayed even, and used all of my skills to try to escape this cruel fate but the decision was final: I marry or would be forced to join a convent. I though for days, seriously considering a life behind walls in the dark rather than marry a man I had never met. In the end I choose marriage.

The wedding was planned for the next month; my time was spent in a whirl wind of planning. I cried at night and I cried just before my trip down the aisle, but as I stepped out from that room you never would have known. My heart bleeding and yet I walked down the aisle like a queen. When my eyes landed on the groom I was surprised, I had expected an old man or even a ugly youth; in their place stood a handsome man. He was young 20, maybe 23; he had dark hair and light blue eyes the colour of the sea by the villa, he was strong and proud but he was gentle at the same time. All this I saw in one glance, and I was curious of what I would find his personality like. For a moment I forgot how apposed I was to this wedding.

After the ceremony and traditional party we went to our chambers, instead of the usual we spent the whole first night talking and shocking I liked him. Not love, but friendship. He was kind and gentle and was just as apposed to the marriage as I was. At dawn just before I fell asleep I remember him saying:

"A strange world where a marriage so unwelcome could bring such unexpected friendship."

With time Mark soothed the hurt in my heart and we became the best of friends. All over Rome people were amazed. The firebrand had been tamed, the rumor ranged on how he had done it; most cruel but I could have cared less. I would tell him everything and he the same for me. Mark was a lord and was in close confidence with many important people ; he was their advisor and I was his.

Six months into our marriage Mark was given a great honor, he became a governor. I was so proud and at the ceremony I stood by his side and became the Governess (in his absence I would have control of the place). It was only after the ceremony that we were informed that the governorship was in Britain, Fort Hadriana to be exact. I was once again devastated at the thought of leaving my home country, even if it was for one of he provinces, and once again abandoned as he went ahead to set up.

He sent word to come 2 months after he arrived.

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Please review! Should I continue? If I do it probally wont be till next week.

Thanks,   
Ana


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, I really appericated it. :) Anyway same disclaimer as last time.**

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Wrapping a blanket more firmly around her shoulders, Diana gazed out the window. It was night, and it was freezing. She had arrived in Britain two days earlier, and really she should have already been at Fort Hadriana but it had taken a day to unload her belongings. Diana didn't really have extravagant taste but she had had to pack all her life up and she had been determined not to forget anything. 

The Roman guards she had hired to escort her to the wall had wanted to stop for the night, but once the lady had heard the fort was only half a days journey away she had been unwavering in her decision to be there by dawn (not to mention she had also heard about the native fighters of the land and their fighting skills).

And so as the sun rose in the sky, Diana's new home came into sight. About 50 yards to the gate, several men on horseback came charging towards her and her company. It was a narrow road and there was only room for one at that part, the head of her guard shouted for them to stop but they came thumping on. There was clearly no room for more than one horse at a time, even though the driver had moved as far to the side as possible; at the last possible moment the second man (on a black stallion) pulled back. Even as he did so his stallion's hooves hit the other horse's side; shocked the horse reared up and caused the litter to fly up at an alarming angle.

The leaders' easy-going grin flew from his face like a sun going behind a storm cloud. It was no proud priest or fat lord as he expected but a young woman. Even as he passed the man recognized that she was of noble birth.

Now this man was no bully but he had been in a hurry all day to escape the confines of the fort and was jubilant to be out, even so his code of chivalry (which could accept a prank on an old man) was outraged at such an insult to a pretty lady. It had barely registered in his mind that the person in the litter was a woman when he pulled his horse to savage halt.

Complete chaos ensued. The riders behind him tried to pull up before hitting the man in front of him, some succeeded some did not. One of the guards accidentally backed his horse into the end of the litter; the force pushed the tipping litter onto safe ground.

Oddly enough the last collision seemed to have no effect on the lady. Regardless of the situation she leaped from the litter in a flurry of skirts and legs- a rather difficult task for a declining position and an unsteady base-, landing directly in the path of a rearing horse and it's appalled rider.

Mortified the man tried to calm his horse and apologize at once. Unfortunately the whole shock of the incident had rendered him speech less; that was not the case with Diana.

Her face was white with fury and she actually shook her fist at the man.

"How dare you! How dare you come… come CHARGING past as if you are king!" She cried, "YOU, you witless imbecile! You could have killed us!!!"

Startled the man began to stammer an apology "Pardon my lady! I had no… no idea it was a woman! I am so sorry! We thought… We thought…"

"You thought?! That I find difficult to believe. Charging down, do you think just because you have such magnificent horseflesh you can forsake manners? And really just because you almost murdered us in your carelessness, you need not ask forgiveness!"

One of the men, he had tattoos on his face, wore a ghost of a smile; indirectly she had complemented them.

But the head of the party failed to notice this. "Madame, I regret my actions, and do not wish to offend you further…"

He did not get far, for once again the lady interrupted. "You are offending me further by not leaving!"

"Now really…"

"Go!"

Shaking his head, the man spurred his horse forward, his company following.

As Diana climbed back into the litter, she distantly heard:

"Now really Arthur calm down, no harm was done to the lady. And what a lady…"

Huffing, Diana sat down, what a wonderful start to her life.

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**Please make me do a cyber happy dance and review but if you don't whatever. Oh, and I know that the P.O.V changes but I couldn't figure out how to write it otherwise (actually if anyone has helpful tips I'd really appercate it!:D).**

**Ana**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello and here we go!**

Diana sat huddled into herself, wrapped in a cloak. Shivering in the cold, she desperately wished the wind would stop or at least she had something to hid behind. Again, for it seemed as if she done this a thousand times, Diana looked around her jail. She was in a courtyard, the only walled part of the seaside village. A massive wooden gate stood tall and strong but it was open as if to invite the villagers to watch her torment; a main house stood to her right, soldiers barracks to her left and a church behind her. Diana was in the middle of the courtyard, on a small wooden platform in a cage.

A cage, oh how it mocked her, a former lady of Rome locked away like an animal. The cage itself was as wide as she when both arms were spread on both sides and just over her height when she jumped; it was made of iron bars, the spaces between small but large enough that she could get her arm through. In the corner sat a bucket, a thin curtain surrounding it for modestly sake.

She was hungry, the small portion of porridge (if it could be called that) she had been given at the start of the day not nearly enough to end her hunger. Her hunger had only been temporarily satisfied and now, in the evening, all earlier traces of that satisfaction were gone.

As she sat thinking of her last meal, a door opened showing a girl holding a bowl; perhaps it was coincidence, perhaps it was fate. The girl made her way towards Diana, wrapped in a warm cloak and clad in a heavy dress and strong boots. As she neared the cage, Diana started talking; desperate for company.

"Hello, is that for me? I suppose it is as no one else is out her at the present time. I truly appreciate it," the girl arrived at the platform and shoved the bowl through the bars, "would you like to sit? Please do, I have lonely for some one to talk to."

The girl shifted uncomfortably and started walking away.

"Oh, I see. You've been ordered not to talk to me haven't you? Please wait! I'd just _really _like some company, you wouldn't have to talk. I can be fairly certain I've saved up enough words today to do enough talking for both of us. Or we could just sit."

The girl stopped and slowly, as if fighting herself, made her way back. Together they sat for a while, not talking, just sitting. After Diana finished eating, the girl took the bowl and went inside.

She was alone. Again.

As the dark came Diana leaned back on the bars and thought back to her very first night in the Fort. Oh, what a night.

In her carriage, Diana sat with a scowl on her face as she thought upon what had just happened.

"_How dare he! And then he tries…he… apologiz…"_ Slowly she started giggling as she remembered the look on the leaders' face. It had just been so funny; the shock, the horror, the indignation. She had been perfectly justified to be angry, Diana reasoned, but perhaps she had been a bit over the top.

"_Oh well, it's not like I'll ever see him again." _She thought as the carriage rolled into the courtyard of Fort Hadriana.

As it pulled to a stop she self-consciously checked her appearance. The carriage door opened, and a hand reached in the carriage to help her out. Stepping out Diana looked around at her new home; on the outside of the fence villagers crowded trying to get a look at the new governors wife, and there by the entrance stood her husband, her Mark.

Completely aware of the stares of the villagers, Diana gracefully walked over to Mark, curtsied, and gave him a chaste kiss on the lips.

"Husband, I am joyous at our reunion." She said, loud enough to be heard by the surrounding people.

"As am I." Mark was an excellent actor, only his eyes showed how amusing he found her words. Subtly Diana rolled her eyes, and with a smile, took his offered arm. Together they walked into the manor.

As Mark shut the door to their suite, Diana looked around. A canopy bed sat to the left of the entrance, a thick fur carpet covered the floor, and a variety of cabinets were placed around the room. The room wasn't very big but it had two doors on opposite ends. One was near the bed and the other was across from it. Turning to Mark, she was drawn into his arms. Resting her head on his chest, she sighed in contentment.

"I really did miss you, my friend."

"As did I," Mark ruffed Diana's hair playfully, "Come there's more behind the doors."

Leading her over to the door next to the bed, he showed her the privy. It was a tiled room; a large bathtub adorned a corner with windows on both side (Diana realized it gave the perfect view of the fort from a vantage that no one else could see the person looking out), counter with a polished glass and chair gave her a spot to "put her face on" as it was called, a closet with the actual toilet, and a odd basin. The basin seemed to have a pipe that stopped over it and another at the bottom to empty it. Mark explained that rainwater was collected on the roof, funneled down the pipe, and released when a cord was pulled. The pipe at the bottom emptied the basin when the plug was pulled. Ingenious really.

The other door led to a large parlor (or even a study); it was themed to be light, and comfortable. A couch, and a few stuffed chairs of the same color rested in front of the hearth, bookshelves lined one wall (they were mainly empty, but that soon would be remedied), a desk sat in front of a large window, and a small table sat behind the couch. Over all it was a beautiful suite and Diana really appreciated the work Mark had put into it.

Flopping down on the couch, she exclaimed, "I love it!" Groaning, Diana started to tell Mark about her day, "You would not believe what happened on the way here…" and so she explained what the road to the fort brought.

At the end of her story, Mark started snickering. Annoyed, Diana asked what was so amusing. Chuckling, Mark elaborated.

"Do you remember when I wrote you about the commander of the fort?" "Yes, Artorious wasn't it?"

"That's him. You see, for the past few days he (and his knights) have been in meetings with politicians, noble families of the area and myself. Got rather tiring if I do say so."

"I shall assume somewhere in this amusing little story there is something of consequence."

Mark continued, still amused. "Well it's just that, oh I'd say about 10 or 15 minutes before you arrived, Arthur and his knights went out on a quick patrol. Seemed in a hurry to me"

Diana's eyes widened, her face pale. "Y…you said his name was Artorious!" " Oh it is," Mark agreed, "but he goes by Arthur."

"You mean to tell me that I arg…oh who am I kidding, yelled at the commander and protector of the fort?" "Yes." "Lovely."

"It gets better, dearest. Remember how I told you about the meeting and who was there?" At her nod, he continued, "In honor of your arrival to Britain, I'm hosting a ball this evening. The nobles, politicians, Knights, and their commander are all invited. Along with their spouses."

"Oh joy." Diana stood up and made her way over to the bedroom door. "Send some servants up with my things, and ask them to draw a bath while their there. Oh, have lunch sent up too."

"Yes, of course," Mark stood up as well. As he left he thought, '_Man, I'm whipped'_.

After a few hours of unpacking, a few hours of grooming, and an hour or two of dressing, I was ready. Many woman would find the amount of time I took dressing for important events unnecessary, maybe even irrelevant if they were to consider what event I was going to. In their opinions, it would be silly to get so dressed up if I was only going to a ball with officers from the garrison, perhaps a few knights, and local dignitaries with their wives.

Luckily I had my own opinions and would never spend any time considering what women of my station would think. It has always been my belief that first impressions were lasting ones. I certainly planned to impress.

I had dressed in a snow-white toga with what I called a Woman's Cape (basically two floor length pieces of scarlet fabric that were to be attached at the shoulders and flowed out behind me); the toga had been tailored specifically for my figure. The dressmaker did a very good job. I had the half of my hair pulled up and left the rest cascade in curls down my back. Golden armbands for my upper arms, one or two golden rings, and a simple gold-knotted chain that plunged to… a place of imagination.

I had put black kohl lining my eyes and gold kohl on my lids. All those lessons on optimization of ones feature were finally coming to use.

Finally it was time to go, Mark looked as handsome as ever and again I thanked God for giving me him as my husband. To my delight, he had bought a wreath of scarlet and white lilies. It never ceased to amaze me how he could always buy a hair wreath that matched my dress without knowing what I was wearing.

He entered the hall through a side door (it irked me that he knew all the secret passages already, and I resolved to learn them all too), claiming that I deserved the spotlight tonight. As I waited for my cue, I imagined the look that would be on Artorious's face when he realized I was the Governor's wife (and consequently of higher rank).

Down in the hall Mark had made his way to the staircase, clearing his throat he began,

"Ladies, Gentlemen and my fellow soldiers tonight you honor me with your presence. I invited you here not only to celebrate the end of our meetings," scattered chuckles rang through the hall, "but also to welcome my wife to Britain. It is my pleasure to now introduce you to my beautiful wife, Lady Diana DeCosta"

The doors opened and I stepped out on to the balcony smiling gently. As I walked gracefully down the stairs, my 'cape' flowing behind me, I caught sight of Arthur's face. My imagination had not done it justice. With my preoccupation of trying not to burst out laughing, I almost (Almost!) failed to notice to looks on his companions' faces. They more or less all looked like fish; it was certainly not flattering.

I reached the end of the staircase and accepted Mark's arm. He introduced me to his fellow governors and their wives; from what I could tell some were quite nice, others not so much.

We ate our dinner at one long table; Arthur and who I learned were his knights were too far away to engage in conversation. After dinner the table was cleared away and musicians came out.

Mark and I, as was tradition, opened the dancing, but shortly found ourselves talking to a group of officers. A moment later he pulled me towards a man whose back was conveniently turned (I suspect he would have made a 'tactical retreat' if he had seen us coming). Ignoring the cringe that was given upon turning around, Mark introduced us (officially),

"There you are Arthur! I've been looking all over. I don't believe you've met my wife? Arthur this is Diana; Diana this is Artorious Castus, called Arthur."

From the look of impending doom on his face, I believe Arthur expected me to start screaming at him again or worse. To his obvious amazement, I merely curtsied meekly and said in a demure voice, "It is a pleasure to meet you my Lord"

After a second of silence, Mark intervened; acting quite concerned.

"Are you alright Arthur?"

Recovering himself, Arthur quickly replied, "Of course, milord. I am merely in awe of your wife's beauty. It is an honor to meet you my Lady," he finished gallantly, kissing my hand softly.

'Very smooth.' I thought, amused.

Our conversation turned to more trivial matters, weather and such. With such… dull conversation, I really should not have been surprised at what happened next.

It was Arthur who started it. "The music is beautiful."

Mark replied, his innocent voice belying the gleam in his eyes. "It is indeed; Diana has always loved music, haven't you milady?"

"Yes I have, although I do not have the voice for singing." I subtlety raised an eyebrow in question.

I should have seen it coming. "But you are a wonderful dancer." "You flatter unjustly, husband."

Arthur, oblivious to what was coming, intervened. "Milady, I'm sure you dance spectacularly."

As I inclined my head in thanks, Mark made his move. "Yes you certainly are. Arthur, why don't you dance the next waltz with Diana?"

The poor man looked positively terrified, but as men tend to do, agreed with his superior. As Mark was beckoned away by a rather fat old man, Arthur turned to me.

"I am sorry my lady, but I must confess: I cannot dance."

Why did I get the feeling that the curly dark haired man behind Arthur was laughing because he knew that Arthur couldn't dance and was amused at the thought of him trying? Oh yes, that's right: because _I _am not an idiot.

Leading Arthur away with a smile, I asked my question and received proof that I am not, in fact, an idiot.

When we arrived in a relatively uncrowded area I pulled Arthur to a stop. It was time for his first dancing lesson to begin.

"Look at that couple, watch their feet... Do you see the pattern?"

"Well they seem to be doing something invol... No, not even a little bit, milady."

"Well, at least your honest. These waltzes are quite simple; as a solider you should be good with directions so lets try with those. One big step east, one little step east, one big step west, one little step west, one big step north, one little step north, one big step south, one little step south. Then you repeat."

He nodded, a look of intense concentration upon his face. Pleased that he understood, I continued. I quickly taught him how to respond when I gave him the signal to turn, spin, or dip me.

As the music stopped, I glanced around. Smirking internally, I watched as Lancelot gathered the other knights to watch in their gallant commanders down fall.

And then, we danced.

Arthur was surprisingly graceful for a man who had never danced before; as we twirl around the room I watched those we passed. Coming near to the knights, I signaled he should dip me. They were gob smacked.

Bringing me back up, Arthur took the lead. As the waltz finished we arrived at a small alcove. Ducking in, I watched giggling as Arthur slid down the wall trying to muffle his laughter.

It was a good night, Diana reflected as she shivered in the cold.


End file.
